"Set it and forget it" is a phrase Informix supporters love to repeat. In Nancy Balsbaugh's role as the database specialist in the Voice Technology Group at Cisco Systems, she takes that phrase one step further. She "sets" the Informix database embedded in Cisco's Unified Communications Manager in such a way that customers don't even know Informix is there.
"It's a black box at a customer site," Balsbaugh explains. "Customers plug a box in and they don't necessarily know what's going on under the covers. We don't have DBAs on site for them."
The complexity of the implementation, in which Informix is included in an application, differs from Informix's typical use to the extent that Cisco's requirements inspired many of the enhancements in the IDS 11 (formerly code-named "Cheetah") release. But Balsbaugh thrives on the challenge. "I get to work on cutting-edge technology for the best in the business. Our VoIP is number one," she says.
One of the challenges Balsbaugh enjoys most is working with IBM to get a deep understanding of how the Informix engine works and how she can push it to meet her group's needs. "IBM's very open-minded, and they want to provide the best product to their customers," Balsbaugh says. In recent years, Balsbaugh has noticed a commitment to customer relationships that exceeds what she experienced from Informix management before the IBM acquisition.
In fact, Balsbaugh's good relationship with IBM led her to the Cisco job in late 2005. Cisco was a new Informix customer that lacked in-house expertise, and a technical sales rep at IBM recommended they hire Balsbaugh, an Informix-certified software engineer.
One thing she wouldn't do when switching jobs was leave her Colorado location. The Michigan native and graduate of DeVry University in Chicago moved to the Centennial State at the request of her employer at the time, Hewlett-Packard, in 1996. (HP also gave Balsbaugh her first exposure to Informix.) And she has no plans to leave, though she may make a move from her Colorado Springs location, where she works from home (enjoying the view in this picture), to Boulder to be closer to a Cisco office. "It's not really a sacrifice, moving from one beautiful place to another,' says Balsbaugh, who enjoys taking in her adopted state's scenery from her Suzuki Bandit.
In 1999, Balsbaugh left HP to work for Informix guru (and DB2 Magazine columnist) Lester Knutsen at Advanced DataTools Corp. Knutsen encouraged Balsbaugh to get involved in the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) he had started. While working for Advanced DataTools, Balsbaugh supported the credit card network (used at all U.S. national parks) for the Bureau of Land Management.
With Knutsen's support, Balsbaugh served on the IIUG Board of Directors in 2003, managing Informix conferences. User group involvement is something she recommends to everyone interested in Informix. "You keep up with what's going on with Informix in a proactive way," she says.
Being the best at what you do is a key element of Balsbaugh's advice for people entering the IT field. "Pick an area to specialize in and try to know that better than anyone else. You'll end up being the person that everyone goes to for help." Still, Balsbaugh says, don't expect praise for doing your job well. "When things are quiet, things are going well. When things aren't quiet, there's a problem."
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